Government of India launched Operation Sankatmochan on Thursday to evacuate citizens from war torn South Sudan. The African Country has been experiencing an ongoing civil war between the government forces and former rebels, leading to the death of over 100 people. 36,000 South Sudanese civilians have fled their homes due to the civil war according to UN data. Minister of State for External Affairs, General VK Singh, also former Army chief, flew to Juba, the capital city of South Sudan, early Thursday morning with two C-17 Globemaster Indian Air Force aircrafts. He is personally leading the operation to evacuate more than 600 Indians stuck in the war torn nation.
156 rescued people arrived at the Thiruvananthpuram International Airport early on Friday while the other aircraft is scheduled to land in New Delhi later in the day. Among those rescued are 46 Keralaites, 2 Nepalese Nationals, & women and three children. There government of Kerala has made arrangements for the onward journey of these people.
“There were more than 500 Indians evacuated. Over 300 Indians will continue to stay there for their business interests. About 150 Indians are there who work in the oil wells and for them it's easier to go towards Sudan where there are not many issues. While I was there, I spoke to the vice president of South Sudan and he told me what they are doing with regards the safety of the people there," said General Singh speaking to the media.
This is not the first time when General Singh has been directly involved in a high risk evacuation operation. In 2015, Mr Singh successfully led Operation Rahat when Indian Armed Forces safely evacuated more than 5,500 Indian citizens and foreign nationals of 41 countries from Yemen during a military intervention by Saudi Arabia and its allies.
General V K Singh has emerged as a true ambassador of the Indian armed forces and its commitment to the nation. We, at Entertales salute General Singh for his commendable services and hope that he keeps doing the good work for many more years to come.